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Ever since I started making my own jams I have been making a strawberry jam every year when the strawberries are in season. With strawberry season now in full swing it was the perfect time to make some more strawberry jam and I was also running a bit low on supplies from previous years. I like to change things up a bit each year and try something a little different. This year I was thinking that if a touch of balsamic vinegar goes well with and enhances the flavour of strawberries then a strawberry balsamic jam would be a good idea. I pretty much just took the original strawberry jam recipe and added some balsamic vinegar.

After making the jam last weekend I could not resist opening up a jar to try it. My favorite way to taste test a new jam is to have it simply on a slice of toast. The strawberry balsamic jam did not set quite as much as some of my other jams have but it set well enough and it tasted great! You cannot taste the balsamic vinegar in the jam but there is that something extra that you just can't quite put you finger on. When I did a side by side comparison with a plain strawberry jam the strawberry balsamic jam seems brighter and the strawberry flavour seems to be stronger. I have been enjoying the strawberry balsamic preserves all week for breakfast on toast along with scrambled eggs and the still in season asparagus. Another one of my favorite ways to enjoy jams is on plain yogurt as a simple parfait. With fresh local strawberries available I have been enjoying the strawberry jam and yogurt parfait with fresh strawberries and some chopped pistachios.

Strawberry Balsamic Jam

Servings: 6

ingredients

4 + 1/2 cups strawberries (cleaned, hulled, sliced and mashed)

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 box Certo pectin crystals

7 cups sugar

directions

Bring the strawberries, balsamic vinegar and pectin crystals to a boil with high heat in a large pot.

Add the sugar.

Bring to a hard boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat.

Stir and skim foam for 5 minutes.

Pour into sterilized jars.

To sterilize the jars:

Wash in hot soapy water.

Keep the lids in boiling water until ready to use.

Place jars in 225F/110C oven for 10 minutes and keep warm until ready to use.

The Ontario strawberries are amazing right now. Did you pick your own? I made strawberry jam, following the Certo recipe too, just this past Monday! And learned the same lesson. 1st batch: didn't do a hard boil 2nd batch: hard boil & it set perfectly.

Also a trick is to put a metal spoon in the freezer, then test some jam on the cold spoon while the jam is going thru the hard boil. Once the jam on the spoon becomes room temp, you can see if it gels/firms up.

I've been having strawberries all week, in smoothies and crepes!Strawberries with balsamic (no jam) is a wonderful dessert too.

I abso-freakin-lutely LOVE your blog!! I swear I cook something inspired by this blog almost every week!I found strawberries on sale at my local grocery store this weekend and made strawberry-fig jam, but now I'm going to use the leftovers to make this!!!

I made two jams last year--pineapple jam and strawberry balsamic black pepper jam. The freshly ground pepper gave it a surprisingly nice kick. (It was a jam, however, that didn't call for gelatin--which I suppose makes it more like preserves? Maybe sometime you could explain the differences of jams/jellies/preserves/marmalade? I know the diff. between jam & jelly, but the rest I'm not so sure, and I can't be the only one.)

to sterilize this in easier way, you can just turn over hot, filled and switched jars on the top and let them stay in that position for about 2 hours. Than, the only thing you need is to put the "bottom" on the cap of jars and that`s all :) I always do that :)

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About Me

I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.